1. Field of the Invention
The field of this invention relates generally to wheel alignment tools and specifically toward an adapter that allows for accurate alignment of wheels without the direct clamping of the alignment head to the wheel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The subject matter of the present invention is an improved adapter for wheel alignment that is particularly helpful with new generation tires that contain newer technology, including lipless wheels, rim-guard tires, stiffer sidewalls and larger diameter wheels.
Proper alignment of vehicle wheels is necessary for smooth, vibration-free handling of the vehicle and also so the vehicle doesn't have a tendency to drift one way or another on the road. Also, proper alignment of vehicle wheels is a necessary component for even tire wear. To accomplish vehicular alignment, it is necessary to establish the position of certain measurements in conjunction with each vehicle wheel. These measurements are camber, caster, steering axis, inclination and toe.
Typical present day alignment instruments utilize placing a separate vehicular instrument (sensor) on each vehicular wheel. Each instrument has an emitter and a receiver. The emitter emits a signal which is transmitted to a receiver of another alignment instrument. The receiver will convert the signal into a value which is indicative of the corresponding alignment angle of the vehicle. This information can be used by the mechanic to adjust the aforementioned measurements in order to achieve the correct and necessary alignment for a vehicular wheel.
Alignment instruments that are in present day usage are normally mounted onto the entire rim of the vehicular wheel. Tire rims sometimes may be damaged and may be slightly out of round or slightly inclined relative to the wheel hub. Such damage frequently occurs by the tire and the rim coming into hard contact with an uneven roadway, such as a chuckhole or a curb. Using of the alignment instrument in conjunction with the tire rim does not achieve an accurate alignment because the rim itself is not correctly aligned relative to the wheel hub on which it is mounted.
Additionally, a great many tire rims are designed to be ornate and have a highly polished chrome surface. Mounting of an alignment instrument on such a vehicular rim frequently causes scratching or denting of the rim. Vehicle owners of such rims take great pride in the appearance of these rims. When a vehicle owner has left his vehicle with a mechanic or tire shop, and when he or she comes back to pick up his or her vehicle finds scratches or dents on the rims, almost invariably the vehicle owner will insist upon replacement, not repair, of these rims. Replacement of each rim can run several hundred dollars in cost to the mechanic or tire shop.
Additionally, most tire rims, in years past, have been manufactured with an annular raised lip located directly adjacent and peripheral edge of the tire rim. The alignment instruments have been constructed to utilize the annular raised lip to mount the instrument onto the tire rim. Currently, some tire rims no longer are being manufactured with this annular raised lip. Therefore, there is no known way to mount the alignment instrument onto the tire rim. The result is the mechanic doing the alignment just does a lot of “fudging” or “speculating” and guesses at what he or she hopes will be a correct alignment. The result is the alignment is of poor quality and proper handling of the vehicle is not obtained. Uneven tire wear is also obtained.